It’s been a relatively quiet few weeks in Lake Basebegone.
The biggest news is that celebrity attorney F. Lee Bailey made another visit to our area to plug the interests of Oxford Aviation. He reportedly said at the MRRA meeting that Oxford aviation has recently been “in contact” with UPS and Jet Blue about refinishing their planes. The problems both have had in finding someone to paint their planes have received widespread publicity. It’s a wonder they’ve been able to keep flying. Commissioner John Richardson seemed delighted.
On a related note, I’ve been “in contact” with book publishers and movie studios about my work.
Bailey also reported that Embry-Riddle is going to keep their school open (regardless of the loss of their target demographic) because Oxford has promised to support avionics students at the school, and will hope for help from government education entities to help in the financing of this education. Shouldn’t Oxford have kept such an “understanding” private? What about Richardson’s “confidentiality is king” “protocols” policy?
Looks like a double standard is in effect here. Asking for specifics is verboten, while unsubstantiated speculations are welcome. At least Bailey admits that private backing is not in the offing and that he is counting on taxpayer funding. Given what I’ve discovered in the past, I’d like to see Embry-Riddle make a public statement with some commitment behind it, rather than bank on a PR release from Bailey speaking on their behalf.
Bailey and the Commish seem made for each other. Bailey could use Richardson’s influence on getting Oxford a plum of a deal, while Richardson could use Oxford’s pronouncements to boost his credentials for the upcoming gubernatorial race.
Word on the street, though, is that Richardson’s party is discouraging him from running because he has too much baggage. It would never have crossed my mind that an inability to pack light is a deal breaker for becoming Governor. I saw Richardson at a meeting in recent weeks, and he wasn’t carrying so much as a brief case, so I don’t know what the baggage concern stems from.
Jim Horowitz, the CEO of Oxford, is keeping a low public profile recently. He and Bailey are made for each other, so I’m a bit disappointed that we haven’t seen more of the “team” lately. I wonder why.
Hopefully we’ll find out soon. Inquiring minds want to know.
On a final note regarding the local cultural scene, Side notes that the run of MSMT's "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" has ended, and that it has been succeeded by "Drowsy Chaperones," which Mrs. Poppycock describes as "the best musical ever."
Ironically, a reality show version of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is expected to run locally for the foreseeable future. I'll leave it to astute readers to guess who the "leads" are.
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